Every day in Arizona 751,690 people wake up not knowing where their next meal will come from. Of those, 226,080 are children. That’s 1 in 7 children statewide. The statistics are even more stark for rural Arizona. According to Feeding® America’s “Map the Meal Gap” study, Apache County shares the highest rate of food insecurity with Yuma County. Navajo County comes in third, with 23.9 percent of the County’s population facing hunger.
After taking a brief hiatus during the COVID-19 Pandemic, NPC is bringing back its annual “Empty Bowls” event to help fight hunger in Northeast Arizona. For this year’s event, NPC has partnered with the RE:center, a local non-profit organization working to provide vital services by increasing health, safety, and self-sufficiency in our communities. In the past, NPC’s annual Empty Bowls event supported the Love Kitchen, a local food kitchen and aid center formerly located in Pinetop AZ. When the Love Kitchen closed its doors, the RE:center recognized the need and came to help. The organization expanded its services to include food assistance for the needy. In addition to providing food boxes, the organization runs a soup kitchen and serves hot meals four days a week. According to the RE:center, if a service does not exist, the organization seeks to develop programs or bring in established agencies to fill the gap.
“We are thrilled to be bringing this important event back to the community and are excited to work with the RE:center to support their initiatives,” states NPC Art Faculty Magda Gluszek, who oversees the college’s Empty Bowls project.
In preparation for the Empty Bowls event, NPC invites the public to participate in an Empty Bowl “Make-a-Thon” scheduled for September 15, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the NPC Fine Arts Department ceramic studio located in Room 104 of the Aspen Center at the Show Low campus.
“No experience is necessary, and all ages are welcome to join in creating handcrafted bowls for the event,” said Gluszek, who is also a well-known ceramicist. “This is a fun experience for the whole family. It’s an opportunity to raise awareness of food insecurity in our communities and to create something unique, by using your hands and your heart.”
Larger groups of four or more should contact Gluszek at least 24 hours in advance to schedule a bowl-making time.
Empty Bowls is an international nonprofit grassroots effort by ceramicists and educators. The bowls created during the ‘Make-a-Thon’ will be used to serve a simple meal of soup and bread during NPC’s Empty Bowls event, which will be held at the NPC Show Low campus on Friday, Nov. 3, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., or until the soup and bread run out.
For a donation of $10, you’ll receive one of the uniquely handcrafted bowls made during the public Make-a-Thon, generously filled with soup donated by Persnikkity’s in Show Low, along with a portion of bread. All proceeds from the Empty Bowls event will go directly to the RE:center.
Direct questions about the Empty Bowls project to Magda Gluszek at 532-6176 or email magda.gluszek@npc.edu.
The RE:center, founded by theCHURCH, works to connect families to services by offering programs and working with community partners to support their Survive-to-Thrive initiative. The organization does not discriminate their services based on religious beliefs, and in addition to a food pantry, helps individuals and families find assistance with medical and dental care, behavioral health, re-entry, housing, transportation, parental support, early childhood learning, mentorship, job training, and if requested, spiritual guidance.
Northland Pioneer College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, veteran status, religion, marital status, gender, age, or disability in admission or access to, or treatment or employment in its educational programs or activities. For more information visit www.npc.edu/public-notices/legal-notices.